The Bachelor Auction
by Jerrib
Summary: A sequel to Steve's Day Off.  The Governor has drafted Steve to participate in an annual charity bachelor auction.   Thanks to everyone for the nice reviews of Steve's Day Off and here is the sequel.  THe next in the series is in the works.


The Bachelor Auction

A sequel to Steve's Day Off. The Governor has drafted Steve to participate in an annual charity bachelor auction. Thanks to everyone for the nice reviews of Steve's Day Off and here is the sequel you were all asking for. I do auctioneering so this one was extra fun. And yes, I'm already working on the sequel to this one.

Disclaimer: I don't own any rights to Hawaii Five 0 or any of its characters.

In the course of his military career Steve McGarrett had experienced many things torture, bombings and battles. And never in all those years had he been as nervous as he was at this moment. His eyes were glued to the clock. In ten minutes the doors to the reception would open and the room he and the other nineteen bachelors were standing in would be invaded, invaded by women whose sole purpose was to buy them. He honestly couldn't believe this was happening to him. He thought back to the day two weeks before when this all started.

Steve had been called to the Governor's office the day after his day off. He assumed he was going to be made to account how in a single day off he'd managed six arrests and rescued a woman attempting to commit suicide. The rescue had been filmed and played on every news channel in the state that evening. Given that the Governor had given him strict orders to take a day off he was expecting at most a reprimand. He certainly wasn't expecting what took place.

He was led into the Governor's office by her administrative assistant. As she closed the door the Governor gestured Steve into a seat in front of her desk without looking up from the papers in front of her.

"Morning Governor." 

"Steve, good morning. I suppose you want to know why I called you here today." She looked at him over the tops of her glasses.

Steve nodded.

"Well your little escapade yesterday has created a literal firestorm of press coverage. I've got every major news program and morning show demanding more McGarrett. So I've decided what I'm going to do." 

"Ma'am?" Steve kept his face composed.

"I'm going to auction you off."

"Excuse me?" Steve thought of the joke Danny had made the day before about an auction but he'd assumed he was kidding.

"Every year there is a charity auction, which I host, that raises money for several leading children's charities here on the islands. We auction off the twenty most eligible bachelors on the islands for charity. Wealthy women pay a hefty entry fee and bid. Last year we raised almost $400,000 doing this. Each of the bachelors is expected to plan a date for the lucky winner."

"A date?" Steve was feeling a little befuddled. "You want to sell me to some woman and have me take her on a date?"

"You make it sound so sordid," the Governor laughed. The usually stoic McGarrett had a look of horror on his face. Gunfire didn't faze him but a room full of women was something else. "These are very wealthy women Steve, they want to support these charities and have fun doing it. There is coverage by the networks at this event. Given their seemingly insatiable demand for your time this will be the perfect solution. In fact, our auctioneer has decided that you will be our final bachelor."

"Auctioneer?"

"Yes, she'll be coming by your office this afternoon to meet with you. She'll need information about you for the auction and she'll also help you put together the perfect dream date."

"Governor, I have a great deal of work to do," Steve began.

"Steve, it is either this or you are going to have to do interviews with every talk show host, news anchor and blogger in the islands. I think you'll have more time to fight crime if you just do the auction."

Steve honestly couldn't think of a thing to say. Maybe he'd get lucky and get shot before the event.

"Don't even think of getting yourself shot or disappearing on a manhunt of some sort, you are doing this and I expect you to be in tip top shape for the event. No bruises, bumps, bullet holes or black eyes. Now, you'll need to get a tuxedo so I've asked Margaret to line you up with the tailor my husband uses. They'll bill it back to me. And we'll also cover the cost of the date; all of the other bachelor's businesses do the same. It is great promotion for them and from what I understand one lucky bachelor last year actually married the woman who bought him."

Steve just sat there, feeling stunned and overwhelmed.

The Governor waited for a response but when it was clear none was coming she continued. "Now go back to work. Sue will be at your office at two. I expect you to meet her there and give her whatever she needs."

"Yes ma'am." Steve stood up and strode out of the office.

That afternoon Steve was sitting in his office trying to focus on paperwork when there was a sharp rap on the door. He gestured and the door opened. Standing in the doorway was a tall gorgeous redhead with bright green eyes and a dazzling smile. "Commander McGarrett?"

"Yes ma'am," Steve stood up and came around his desk to shake her hand.

"Sue Sullivan. I'm your auctioneer."

Steve closed the door behind her and ushered her into a chair. She was almost six feet tall and wore a simple green business suit that highlighted her hair and eyes. She pulled a pad of paper from her notebook and opened it.

"I thought auctioneers were mostly men." Steve said for want of anything else to say.

"That's actually true. I am the only woman in Hawaii who actively calls auctions. I do art auctions, estate sales, business closures and a few charity auctions. I've been doing this one for the last three years. I donate my time and I make wonderful connections. My goal with Charities for the Children is to raise just as much money as I possibly can and hopefully exceed the amount we raised last year. The committees take care of the publicity, ticket sales, overall organization and help recruit the bachelors. My job is to tell the bachelors' stories in as compelling a way possible so that the women bid and bid high. And I will be upfront, I do have to make the stories as sexy as possible as well – that's why you all wear tuxedos. Very James Bond. I must say you have made it very easy for me with your rescue yesterday, women all over Hawaii are sighing over that video footage. Sweeping a woman off her feet and carrying her off fed every woman's princess fantasy."

"Princess fantasy?" Steve was feeling a bit out of his depth.

"Prince Charming coming to the rescue, happily ever after, riding off into the sunset. That stuff is very compelling to women. I imagine many of our attendees will be hoping the same thing will happen to one of them with one of our bachelors."

"Right, so what exactly is involved with this auction? And by the way it wasn't going off into the sunset, it was going off into a parking garage." Steve leaned back in his chair, feeling fascinated despite his doubts about the whole enterprise.

"Well first of all you have to plan a wonderful romantic date. It will usually start in the afternoon and continue into the evening. You'll meet the woman at the point of origin then you travel to someplace beautiful and exciting where you will have a lovely meal. Some of the men, the athletes for example, will often include an activity. Last year we had an Olympic swimmer and he gave the woman a private swimming lesson then once they were cleaned up he took her out on a yacht for dinner. I have connections at most of the top restaurants and destinations on the islands and they will usually donate the dinner in exchange for the publicity. Our goal is to keep our overhead as low as possible so the most money can make it to the charities where it will do the most good."

"What's the highest you've ever gotten for a bachelor? "

"Most go for between fifteen and twenty thousand. Our highest was twenty five thousand two years ago. He was an actor from the TV series Lost which was filming here on the island. We actually had one woman fly in from the mainland just to bid on him. It was her trip of a lifetime really. They had great fun and have actually remained good friends."

"What's the lowest you've gotten?"

She grinned at him, "Worried are you? I really don't think you have anything to worry about on that front Commander. First of all you're tall, very good looking and have all your hair. And you're a real life hero. I've read up about you. You will do just fine. And the lowest I ever got was $2000 for a dentist. I must tell you, nobody ever really likes a dentist."

Steve sighed. Hopefully he'd do better than $2000. No matter what anyone said, no one was going to bid a lot for a policeman. "So what do you need to know?"

She asked him a series of questions about his life, where he'd been born and raised, his family, his work before coming to Hawaii and his work with Five 0. When she was finished she reread her notes and stared at him thoughtfully.

"What?" Steve asked.

"I'm just trying to decide what the perfect date would be. You're a Navy Seal so it's very tempting to put you on a boat. But we already have two others using yachts. So let me ask you, I understand you can fly helicopters, is that correct?"

"Yes, I have my license."

"Can you get access to a helicopter for the day?"

"I think so. If we promote my friend's service I'm sure we could borrow one, probably just need to pay for fuel." Steve nodded.

"Let me set a scenario. You meet at the heliport and you are standing there in your jeans, a white t-shirt and a leather bomber jacket. You seat her in the co-pilot seat, come around, start it up and take off. You fly out to one of the other islands to a resort and spa that I know of. The two of you have massages on the beach and then get cleaned up for a sunset dinner for two out on the beach. Then afterwards you fly her home, taking some time to circle Honolulu at night so she gets an incredible view."

"It all depends on the weather. Evening can be tricky. I have flown nightflown night missions in a copter but over open water it can be a bit of a problem." Steve said.

"Don't want anything too dangerous. Hmmmmmm. I like the first part. Perhaps you stay at the resort in your own rooms, have a sumptuous breakfast in the morning then fly back? Still have great views, maybe show a bit more of the island and everyone's home by lunch. We've done a few overnights – there was one camping experience that actually did well. Not my style personally."

"So, you think this would be a date people would like? Also, I don't have a leather bomber jacket." Steve was starting to think this might not be so bad but he was having a hard time imagining a leather jacket in ninety degree heat.

"I'll take you shopping and buy you one. You'll wear that for the ride over then massages then a tux for dinner." She continued to make notes.

"A tuxedo for dinner on the beach? That doesn't sound fun, sounds uncomfortable."

"Trust me women love tuxedos." She continued to write.

Steve glanced out through his office window. He could see Chin, Danny and Kono gathered in Danny's office watching this interaction intently. He'd made the mistake of telling them about the auction when he returned from his meeting with the Governor. They'd already started joking with him about this. Once Sue left it would only get worse, he was sure.

"I think I have everything I need. Now the Governor said she's gotten you an appointment for a tuxedo fitting?" Steve nodded. "Great, then I'll come by on Saturday morning, say 10 am and we can go shopping for a few things. And we can go over what you'll be doing and saying during the event."

"What I'll be saying? I have to speak while they're bidding on me?" Steve looked horrified.

"No, during the reception. You're expected to mix and mingle with the women before the auction starts. You charm as many of them as possible. The goal is to get them to bid. That's during the general reception. No more than one drink before you go onstage though. Three years ago one of the bachelor's got a good buzz on and when he walked down the runway he went straight off the end. It was not pretty."

"There's a runway?"

"I'll bring you some footage so you can see last year's auction. It's not a big deal. Everyone has a few laughs, spends a lot of money, it's a great cause. We often have some of the children come who are benefiting from the Charities for the Children work. Do you like kids?"

"Yes," Steve did like children, they often seemed saner than the adults he had to deal with.

"Great," Sue stood up and extended her hand. Steve rose and shook it firmly and escorted her out of the office and to the elevator. He wasn't taking any chances on his team waylaying her to get some inside scoops.

Steve watched the clock click again. Five minutes until the door opened. He checked his tuxedo again. He felt a tap on his shoulder. One of the other bachelors was standing there. Steve recognized him as the anchor of one of the morning news shows.

"Josh, Josh Taylor," the man held out his hand. Steve shook it firmly. "No need to introduce yourself Steve. I ran your footage on my show two days last week and again this morning while promoting the this event. It's nice to meet you in person."

"Thanks. Nice to meet you. Have you done this before?" Steve felt slightly relieved, it was easier having someone to talk to rather than stand there just waiting.

"Yes, did it last year. I have to admit my girlfriend at the time was not thrilled about me being auctioned off. Though, when the winner turned out to be a sixty-five year old she was found it all rather amusing."

"Sixty-five? Why are sixty-five year olds coming to something like this?"

Another bachelor wandered up, hearing Steve's last question. "They're cougars, older women interested in younger men. Though that's usually the forty-five to fifty year olds. The sixty-five year olds are often just lonely women who are seeking to have a little fun. And of course they're usually the rich ones. I'm Sam by the way, Sam Ballachek."

"From the San Diego Chargers?" Steve enthusiastically shook his hand. "I've seen you play."

"Yup, retired last year and moved out here to the islands. I've got a great piece of property and a restaurant in downtown," Sam reached in his pocket and pulled out his card. "Next time you're free I'd like to have you as my guest for dinner. I saw you on TV a few weeks ago and I've heard about what you're doing. I appreciate it man."

Steve took his card and pocketed it. He'd once had dreams of playing in the NFL but his mother's death and his father's decision to send him to boarding school had cut that dream short. The scouts who'd seen him play at sixteen hadn't known where to find him once he moved to the main land. Still it would be cool to have dinner with a real pro and learn what the life had been like.

As Sam and Josh continued to chat with Steve the other bachelors began to gather around. Many had seen Steve on TV and all seemed intent on shaking his hand and giving him their cards. In a short time he'd met several doctors, including a plastic surgeon who told him if he ever needed any work done on a scar to let him know, an attorney and even a member of the state legislature. Everyone seemed genuinely nice and for the first time in a long time Steve found himself relaxing and not focusing on work.

Sue Sullivan stepped out on the stage a moment later and went to her podium at the side of the stage. "Gentlemen, get ready. The doors are about to open."

The twenty men instinctively lined up, presenting a united front as the door opened. Sam and Josh both were flanking Steve and Sam leaned over and whispered, "Just remember, cougars, cougars can bite, but only if you want them to."

Then the doors were open and women came into the room. Steve was surprised to see that the Governor was leading the way. She walked up to the line of bachelors and went down it cordially shaking hands with each before releasing him to the crowd. When she got to Steve she leaned forward to kiss him on the cheek. "I have a little surprise for you," she whispered in his ear before moving on.

When Steve scanned the room he saw what she meant. Coming towards him was his team, Danny, Chin, and Kono. Kono had the arm of an older very beautiful Hawaiian woman who Steve assumed must be Kono's mother, mother and daughter looked very much alike.

"Well look at you. James Bond in the flesh," Danny jibed as he walked up. He was in a coat and tie, as was Chin. Kono and her mother both wore sequined cocktail dresses, Kono's in a deep burgundy and her mother's in a bright blue.

"Steve McGarrett, I would like you to meet my mother, Leilani Kalakaua."

Steve took her hand and shook it softly, "It's very nice to meet you Mrs…" before he could get the last word out she stopped him.

"Lani, please Commander. Or may I call you Steve?" She fluttered her eyelashes at him very briefly and Steve felt himself blush slightly.

"Steve would be wonderful. I had no idea you were all coming," Steve said to the group.

"The Governor bought a table and called to offer us all seats. We didn't think it would be a good idea to spend all week fighting with you about it. So much better to just make it a surprise," Danny grinned.

"I thought you were going to try and get Grace this weekend since you had to miss a week?" Steve said to him quietly.

"Rachel said it was her weekend with Grace and no way. So here I am footloose and fancy free on a Saturday night. I wanted to see a comedy and I figured this would be one of the best shows in town." Danny's head swiveled as a beautiful blond walked up to them.

"Are you one of the bachelors?" She cooed at Steve.

"Yes Ma'am. Commander Steve McGarrett, I'm with the Governor's Task Force Five -0."

She looked him up and down appraisingly and reached over to squeeze one of his biceps. "I just love a man with muscles," she practically purred and strolled away.

That time Steve's face did go flaming red, and Danny couldn't help himself, he just had to laugh.

Sue Sullivan walked up to them at that point, taking Steve's arm. "Steve, I know you'd rather hide here in the corner with your friends but I have a lot of people you need to meet. Our big donors are here and several of the children. I'd like to get some photos of you with them for the press. There's one darling little girl," Sue drew Steve away chatting the whole time.

"Poor Steve," said Chin.

"He's even better looking in person than he is on TV." Kono's mother murmured.

"Mom!" Kono was scandalized. "Mom, what about Dad?"

"Sweetie, I'm married but I'm not dead yet. I can appreciate a fine looking man. Oh, look, there's that Josh Taylor, I have breakfast with him every morning." And with that Lani walked away. 

"Oh my god, seriously, my mother is hitting on that man," Kono" Kono said a few moments later as she saw her mother touch Josh Taylor's hand and throw her head back in a throaty laugh.

"At least she's having a good time," Danny said. "Look, I can't help it. I'm dying to go see Steve being a model for the cameras with some rug rat. We have to go see what they're making him do, this is just too good. Chin, you have your camera all ready?"

"It's already up and running. You can't even see it in my lapel button can you? Perfect chance to test the new equipment. Plus I wouldn't miss filming this for the world." The three went off in the direction Sue Sullivan had drawn Steve earlier.

As they moved past the bar the area cleared out a little and they could see the large white backdrop with the logos of the event sponsors boldly printed on it. In front of the backdrop were Steve, the Governor and Sam Ballachek all posing and smiling. Steve threw his head back at one point laughing at something Sam had said and the flashbulbs all sparked. Then Sue's assistant brought over two small children, one a girl of about four and the other a little boy of six. The little girl looked terrified, and stood clutching her teddy bear. Steve immediately squatted down and began speaking with her. Gradually she relaxed and even allowed Steve to shake her bear's paw. After that he extended his arms to the child and she came and gave him a hug. He picked her up and introduced her to the Governor. All the cameras whirred catching the charming shot of the tall man in a tuxedo holding the small child while the Governor smiled and held the child's hand. A newswoman stepped forward with a microphone and asked them all several questions. Once she was done Steve went to put the child down but she now had a stranglehold around his neck and he kept her in his arms. The news cameras kept rolling.

"I guess women of all ages love Steve," Chin observed to Kono. She nodded and smiled as the little girl relaxed and kept her arm about Steve's neck in a very proprietary fashion.

"What the hell?" Danny said softly.

Chin glanced over and then followed the direction of Danny's gaze. Sue Sullivan was bringing a woman to join the Governor and Steve with the child in front of the backdrop. It was Rachel, Danny's ex-wife. He could see both the Governor and Steve greeting her, and he could see that Steve looked vaguely puzzled. Danny pushed closer so he could hear what they were saying.

"Governor, Rachel is one of the Charities for the Children committee co-chairs this year. Her husband donated the money to fund all the refreshments this evening," Sue Sullivan then began to step back but Stan pulled her back in.

Sam turned to the interviewer and motioned her forward. "Have you interviewed Miss Sullivan yet? She's the lady that's been riding herd on all the bachelors this evening. She's like the head of a cattle drive, getting us all to market and selling us off." He grinned broadly and scooped up the little boy who'd been standing quietly at his side. The photographers began to rapidly snap the group photos. The handsome men holding small children, the Governor and the beautiful young women would all make excellent fodder for the next day's newspapers and that evenings blogs. The public relations person came in and helped rearrange people for a variety of photos including one photo of Steve and Rachel holding the little girl between them and smiling for the camera.

Chin could swear he could hear Danny grinding his teeth. "Danny relax, this is all just for publicity."

"It's not that." Danny protested.

At last the photographers seemed to have had their fill. As the group moved off and another group of bachelors went forward Danny hurried over to them. The Governor had excused herself to take a call so it just left Steve, Dan, Rachel and the children.

"Hello Rachel," Danny said. His voice was calm but his face was deadly. Steve and Sam exchanged a glance over Danny and Rachel's heads and turned in unison and walked off with the children.

"Hello Danny."

"So is Grace here tonight?"

"No Danny she's not." Rachel knew where this line of questioning was going.

"Rachel, I asked you if I could have Grace for this weekend or even part of it but you said no, I had missed my weekend and would have to wait. Then I see you're here. And our daughter is nowhere in sight. So is she with Step Stan or the Nanny?"

"Look Danny, let me explain something to you. When Grace is with you that's it, she's just with you. You get her 100% of the time she is there. Well she's with me the rest of the time. Only I don't get her for all of that time. She sees her friends, goes to school, she does her homework, and she has sleepovers."

"Oh, so that's where she is tonight, with her friends, at a sleepover."

"No Danny, she's at home, doing her homework. We had a busy day; we went to a birthday party and did some shopping. She was tired. And she has another party tomorrow."

"But tonight she's doing homework. Homework that will probably take her thirty minutes. Rachel, she's my daughter too. I'd like to see her more than every other weekend and maybe once a week. I miss her. You could have been flexible. You know I had to work last weekend."

"Danny, I refuse to let you create a scene here in front of my friends, people I work with. This is a big night for me."

"Well it's not for me Rachel. A big night for me is when I get to kiss my little girl goodnight. That's all the big night I need. It's all you used to need. But I guess that's what money does to you." Danny sneered and Rachel drew a sharp breath, turned and walked away.

"That's not cool, broh," Kono said. "She looks seriously pissed."

"Yeah, well, she's not the only one." Danny headed towards the bar.

The cocktail and appetizer reception lasted about ninety minutes. Sue Sullivan did an excellent job riding herd on the bachelors. By the end of the reception Steve had met many of the women present and all of the other bachelors. He had a pocket full of cards, all the men had extended invitations to surf, swim, golf, and dine. He felt like somehow he had entered a strange kind of club. They could call it the I survived Survived the bachelor Bachelor auction Auction club perhaps. He'd found himself extending similar invitations for people to go snorkeling and to a cookout. When the chimes sounded Sue asked all of the bachelors to proceed backstage.

Sam and Steve headed backstage together. Sue lined the men all up in order and proceeded to inspect them, a lint brush, comb and several other items in her hand. When she reached Josh she adjusted his bowtie and using a small tissue removed lipstick from his cheek. When she reached Steve she ran the lint brush over the front and shoulders of his jacket, removing a number of long blond hairs. Steve hastened to explain they were from the little girl he'd held but she simply waved him off. She then moved to the chairs lined up behind the stage and called each man over in order. The plastic surgeon was in seat number 1, Josh Taylor in seat two and so on down the line until Sam was in seat nineteen and Steve was the last in seat twenty.

"Ok gentlemen, final instructions. This is Ella our Stage Manager. She will be beckoning each of you to come up the stairs as we are finishing with the previous gentleman. Megan is her helper and she'll be walking you to the stairs. When I call your name she'll direct you onto the stage. You come to the center stage, walk down the runway, turn and walk back. Be sure to pause at the end. Remember smile, stand up straight and make eye contact. When you're back near me I'll start calling the auction. Be sure to smile at the audience and if you can connect with the women bidding. Be encouraging. When the bidding closes, you have been chosen you'll take a red rose from the table and carry it down to the lady who won. Give the winner awinner a nice kiss on the cheek and present her with the rose. Then come back on stage. I'll acknowledge you again and you can exit. Remember this show is about raising money so children can have food, clothes, shelter and medicine. The more we sell you for the more children we can help. Don't forget that. For those of you waiting back here, you can watch everything on the monitor. Ok, let's get this show on the road. Ella, cue lights." Sue walked up the stairs to the stage entrance with Ella.

Megan went to stand next to the plastic surgeon, a nice looking man named Larry Levine. From what Steve could see the man had never had to go under the knife himself, but he couldn't be sure. Perhaps a nose job.

"Ladies and gentlemen, please give a warm round of applause for your auctioneer and mistress of ceremonies this evening, Sue Sullivan." Sue entered smiling and waving at the audience. She was greeted with a warm round of applause.

"Good evening everyone. Thank you all for coming this evening. We have a great line up of Hawaii's most eligible bachelors here this evening. But this evening is not just about them but about the children of Hawaii. Across this great country of ours and in the great state of Hawaii we are facing a national crisis. A crisis amongst our most vulnerable citizens. Every day children in this home we love to call paradise are starving. They are hungry, they have no decent clothing, they are living on our streets. We are here tonight to do everything we can to make sure that we resolve this crisis. Now before we begin I have a short video I'd like you to see about the children we are here to help tonight.

The video began to play and the audience was completely silent. As it rolled to its conclusion Steve could see several of the bachelors wiping their eyes surreptitiously. He too felt incredibly moved. He'd seen children in crisis around the world and whenever possible he'd tried to help. But the stories he'd seen, the little girl he'd held in his arms, these inspired him to do more.

Sam leaned over, "Man, I'm going to find a way to give the leftovers from my restaurant directly to those kids if it kills me."

Steve nodded. He drove these streets every day and he too would try to do more.

When the video ended the audience sat in silence, except for some muffled sobs in the audience, then everyone burst into applause. Sue appeared back on stage leading the two children who'd been photographed with Steve and Sam earlier.

"These are two of the children who your donations will be helping tonight. Now, I know that we only have twenty bachelors. And there are far more than twenty of you. So I urge you to consider taking one of the envelopes sitting on your table and giving whatever you can this evening, even if you don't win one of our bachelors. And I also urge you all to bid a lot. And now on with our show." She let go of the children's hands and they both waved at the audience, then holding hands exited the stage.

"Our first bachelor is one of the leading plastic surgeons in the State of Hawaii. Dr. Larry Levine graduated from Harvard with a degree in biology and Harvard Medical School with a specialty in Plastic Surgery. He interned at the world famous John's Hopkins.s…"

Steve was mesmerized by the duality of what he was seeing and hearing. On the monitorscreen he could see Sue with a picture of Doctor Levine projected on the screen behind her. The doctor was poised in blue scrubs and looked pretty good. The real Dr. Levine , who was standing at the top of the stairs stairs, was not looking good. In fact he seemed to be turning a subtle shade of green. Megan noticed it as well and ran up to him with a bottle of water to sip on. Then she and had him bend over with his head between his legs for a moment.

Once Sue finished the introduction she included the details of the date with Doctor Levine which included a round of golf at an exclusive Maui country club and dinner and a moonlight cruise aboard a yacht. The doctor's nerves had subsided and he walked on stage to appreciative shouts and whistles from the audience. The mood had completely altered, and the audience eagerly began to bid even before he'd returned to the spot near Sue's. About five minutes later, and another walk down the runway by the good doctor, he sold for $18,000 to a middle aged woman in the audience who both Sam and Steve agreed was probably as eager for a consultation with Larry as she was for the date. Larry gallantly presented the rose and bestowed a kiss and the woman giggled with her friends.

The auction continued, each bachelor receiving great applause and generous bids. Not a single man went for less than $15,000. After the first ten bachelors Sue declared a short break so she could catch her breath and waiters could deliver more drinks to the table. She came backstage and went to a large table set up with sodas, waters, coffee and tea service. The twenty bachelors all stood and stretched and proceeded to mingle. Everyone was congratulating the State Senator who had achieved the highest bid of the evening $24,000.

Danny got up from the table and announced he was going to get a beer and asked if he could bring any of the ladies another drink. Kono and her mother declined. As he moved off into the crowd Lani turned to her daughter, "He's still in love with his ex-wife."

"Yes Mom, I think everyone knows that except Danny and Rachel. What's worse is I think she still loves him too. You don't call someone that frequentlget that angry at someone y if you don't."

"Well it's too bad, such a nice young man. And obviously a good father."

"Yes Mom." Kono braced herself for the inevitable request for a grandchild that always accompanied such a remark.

"What I don't understand is how you can work with Commander McGarrett every day and not want to get some of that."

"Mother," Kono was aghast. "Seriously, where did you learn to say that?

"Your father has taken to watching something called the Jersey Shore. He says it's quite educational."

"Good grief, Mom. First of all he's my boss. Second of all, he's a complete workaholic."

"So are you," her mother replied. "I'm not saying marry the man. I'm just saying he's a very attractive man. Your babies would be gorgeous."

Kono just shook her head and rolled her eyes. She knew grandchildren would come up eventually.

Danny walked up to the bar and ordered a beer. When he turned around Rachel was standing right behind him. "Danny," she said coolly.

"Rachel. So where is Stan tonight?"

"Indonesia on business, he'll be back in a few days."

"Sounds like he travels a lot," Danny replied. "Sounds lonelier than being a cop's wife. Though I guess a little loneliness is worth it when it comes with all that money." Danny stopped, but it was too late. He could see Rachel going red and her eyes took on that look she got when she was trying to hold back tears of anger. He's seen that look a lot in the year leading up to their divorce. Why did every conversation with her seem to degenerate into something ugly? "Rachel."

She turned on her heels and strode away from him, her back straight and her head held high. Danny looked after and sighed and made his way back to the table.

Back at the table Chintable Chin, Kono and her motherLani were engaged in an animated conversation with a woman who'd been seated at their table, Doctor Monica Linde from the University of Honolulu.

"So Doctor Linde, what made you decide to come to this event?" ask Kono's mother.

"I'm an anthropologist and an old friend of Pat Jameson's. We knew each other in college. She invites me to this event every year so I can observe the behavior of the men."

"The men?" Chin was surprised. "The women are the ones who are putting on the best show, all the screaming and laughing."

"I'm observing the men's behavior and the women's reaction to it. I call these type of men, alpha males. The men collected here are all the best at what they do. If you look at them you can see they all share several critical featurescharacteristics. All of them are taller than the average male, and all are exceptionally good looking. All are highly successful in their careers. Most have a great deal of money. And the women respond to this very strongly. We did an experiment last year and included someone who was relatively average looking, middling height, attractive but not overly so, but still successful. It was terrible; the women were simply just not interested. Fortunately one woman looked beyond his non alpha male status and bought him. Interestingly in the history of this event they were the only two to actually get married." She smiled at Kono and Chin who were exchanging glances.

"Has she seen Steve yet?" Chin asked Kono.

"Ah yes, Commander McGarrett, I saw him on the news. I was the one who called Pat and insisted he be included. I would imagine that backstage the other bachelors are all approaching him, attempting to make friends and seeking his approval."

"Why do you say that?" Chin leaned forward to ask.

"Because Steve McGarrett is, in my opinion of course, the ultimate alpha male. He has all the characteristics that the other men share plus he has the advantage that he is a hero. That will make him stand out from the others. I predict he will be an enormous success."

"I still am not clear on how you decide who is an alpha male?" Lani asked.

"Think about dogs. An alpha male dog is one who dominates the pack. Usually this is one of the larger animals. My best example is a Great Dane. They are really a mellow dog, very laid back. They are so clearly larger and more athletic that other dogs submit to them. My husband and I had a Great Dane, Duke, and a Pomeranian, ButchPrince. Butch Prince would just yap and yap all day and Duke would just serenely go about his business. Yet let another dog enter the territory and Butch would run behind the Great Dane who would defend the territorDuke just knew he was the alpha and, despite all the yapping and posturing, Prince knew it tooy. In that back room right now are twenty alpha males, but now that they are in a pack, one will definitely prove himself to be the pack leaderleader, my guess is it will be your Commander McGarrett." She picked up her martini and took a careful sip.

"And Steve being pack leader will make him more money in the auction?" Chin was struggling with his disbelief.

"I helped create the scripts and selected the photographs that show each man in the most optimal fashion. This was all done based on the data we had gathered and analyzed from the last three years. Then we created a set of forecasts based on this data. So now we just wait to see how we've done in our forecasting. So far this evening we're at about 90% accuracy, which is quite high." Dr. Linde relaxed in her seat and smiled as everyone exchanged disbelieving glances. The chimes sounded to indicate the start of the second part of the auction. Danny returned to the table and took his seat.

Backstage Megan and Sue got all of the bachelors back in their seats. Steve found himself feeling much more relaxed. He was enjoying meeting these people. Every one of them were among the best at what they do, trained for excellence. Well except for the underwear model, Jake Hansen, who Steve thought was something of an idiot.

The Governor came backstage and the lights were dimmed. "Ladies and Gentlemen, please welcome the Governor of Hawaii, Patricia Jameson." 

The Governor strode on stage to thunderous applause. She greeted the audience and gave them a few statistics about the plight of children in Hawaii and the new legislation she was working on to help alleviate the problems of children. This was met with more applause. She continued, "We are well on our way to beat last year's $400,000 dollars. With ticket sales and donations made this evening we're already at $250,000. I'd like it if we could all try to work together to reach $450,000 and help children everywhere in our great state."

More applause rang out from the audience. With that Sue came back on stage and began the auction once again. The next eight bachelors went very smoothly, each averaging about $23,000. With the total at $405,000 Sam and Steve were the final ones left.

"Man, I'm feeling a little nervous," Sam said as the last bachelor was taking his rose to the winner, a little old lady who proudly announced she bought him for her eighteen year old granddaughter. The audience hooted with laughter at the announcement. "I wouldn't want to be the one who made us miss our number."

"It's not you, it's me who'll make us miss. . I'm the last one." If you do $22,500 then I'll need to do that as well," Steve swallowed hard., his nerves were starting to act up again.

"You'll do fine. Women love a hero, dude. And, from what I saw on the news you'll, you'll have them swooning. Hell, even my restaurant manager was talking about how she wished she had enough cash to buy you. Really, when you come to dinner you'll just make her day."

"Thanks, man." Steve smiled and felt himself relaxing a bit.

"Here I go," Sam stood up and adjusted his tuxedo and strutted to the steps. He turned and gave Steve a thumbs up then exited onto the stage as he was announced.

Megan came over to get Steve at last. He climbed the stairs slowly, careful not to take a misstep. He stood in the wings and watched as Stan topped out at $22,000. So his goal was $23,000. He was surehoped he could do it. He wet his lips and smiled when Megan nudged him and told him to.

"You have a lovely smile Commander, be sure to use it."

Steve took a deep breath and waited.

Sue Sullivan watched Sam head backstage then began to speak, "And now we have our final bachelor. And he while he is definitely last, he is certainly not least. Commander Steve McGarrett stole all our hearts two weeks ago when he performed a heroic rescue on top of a parking garage in downtown Honolulu. Let's all take a look." She turned and on the screen video footage from two weeks before began to play. As Steve swept the woman into his arms and carried her off, women in the audience gave an enormous sigh. Steve's photo then flashed on the screen. Steve wasn't sure where they had gotten a photo of him in his naval dress uniform but there it was. "Commander Steve McGarrett was born right here in Hawaii. He was a star high school quarterback who held several state records, some of which remain unbroken to this day." A photo flashed on screen of Steve in his high school football uniform. "He then went to Annapolis and graduated at the top of his class. When he entered the Navy he signed up for Naval Seal training and again finished top of his class." A photo of Steve in his Seal gear appeared on the screen. "This was followed by a highly decorated career in Naval Intelligence. Commander McGarrett left the Navy earlier this year to head Governor Pat Jameson's Task Force on Crime, Five 0. As the leader of this elite unit, Commander Steve McGarrett works tirelessly to make Hawaii a safer place for all of us to live." Sue paused and took a breath. On screen a photo appeared of Steve in his bathing suit carrying a surf board. The women in the audience literally shrieked.

Backstage Steve was horrified. Where had they gotten all these pictures? And what the hell was Sue doing? None of the other bachelors had gotten this treatment.

"Megan, what's she doing?" Steve whispered. He was clenching his jaw tightly.

"She's making sure you break every record," Megan whispered back.

"Oh man," was all Steve could manage.

"And now ladies, to the date," Sue began. "You will be flown by Commander McGarrett, did I mention he is a helicopter pilot as well, to the island of Maui where you will both be treated to a two hours couple massage on the beach at the Four Seasons Resort and Spa. You will each have your own private suite at the hotel and you will be treated to a romantic dinner for two on the beach. Then you will be entertained with other guests of a performance of traditional Hawaiian dance. The next morning Commander McGarrett will fly you on a tour of Maui then back to Honolulu. The value of this package is almost $10,000 and was donated by the Four Seasons Hotel. Now let's bring him out, Lieutenant Commander Steve McGarrett."

The crowd went nuts. Even Kono's mother was on her feet cheering and jumping up and down. She turned to Kono and said, "Maybe I can use the money I've been saving for your wedding and buy him."

"Mom, please stop," Kono was horrified though she couldn't help but laugh. "You can't buy my boss for me."

"Who said he was for you?" Lani replied.

Danny and Chin were looking around in amazement. Chin made sure that his camera lens was carefully pointed at Steve as he journeyed down the runway. Steve's face was fixed and unsmiling.

Chin leaned over to Danny as Steve came down the runway, "Oh broh,man that is not a good face."

"I know that look, that look tells me that he's getting ready to either kill somebody or do something completely crazy," Danny" Danny whispered back. "Seriously, that's his I'm on the hunt look."

"That'll scare all the ladies senseless," Chin replied. He kept the camera he had hidden carefully directed at Steve's face. 

Steve had come to the end of the runway and paused for a moment, surveying the crowd. The women all seemed to be holding their breath. Everything stilled for the moment. Then from backstage the little girl that Steve had been photographed with earlier came running onto the stage. She ran straight down the runway towards Steve. Steve heard her coming and turned. When she reached him he squatted down and scooped the child up in his arms. He patted her back and when she leaned back to look in his faceeyes he gave her a big reassuring . The crowd of women sighed in unison. Even Kono, her mother and Dr. Lynde Linde joined in.

Steve held the child in his arms and returned up the runway to stand next to Sue. Someone came from backstage and took the child away.

"I'd like to open the bidding," Sue said into the microphone when Steve had returned to her side.

"Ten Thousand," was" was screamed from the audience before she could even state a number.

"I hear ten, do I hear," Sue was about to say eleven when from the audience a shout of twenty thousandfifteen was heard.

"I hear twenty fifteen do I hear," again she was interrupted by a shout of thirty, then thirty fivetwenty, then twenty-five.

Steve looked offstage and standing next to Megan was the Governor who was simply beaming. He had the feeling that she may have been the one to provide the photographs to Sue for the auction. He was also wondering about the timing of the little girl coming down the runway, he knew a setup when he saw one. His attention was riveted when he heard a shout of fifty thousand. 

With that the crowd began to settle, there were three women who seemed locked in a fierce battle, with the numbers slowly climbing towards the sixty thousand mark in two hundred and fifty dollar increments. Just then a different voice rang out from the back of the room.

"Seventy five thousand dollars." Everyone fell silent at that. They turned in their seats trying to see who had spoken. Steve on stage was squinting against the bright lights but he couldn't see.

"I have seventy five thousand dollars, going once," Sue paused for dramatic effect. She could see the number that was being held in the air from the back of the room but not the bidder. "Going twice," she paused again. "Sold to bidder number 82 for seventy five thousand dollars.". " With that the crowd went wild. Everyone was straining to see who bidder 82 was and the crowd fell back as the person holding the paddle began to move through the crowd.

Steve turned and picked up the last of the red roses and made his way down the stairs. When the bidder broke through the crowd he couldn't help but gasp. It was Rachel. Danny's Rachel. Steve didn't need to knowknew this was an oh shit moment if he'd ever seen one. He walked up to Rachel, handed her the rose and bent to kiss her on the cheek. At the last minute she turned her head and kissed him full on the lips. The crowd went wild and Steve then straightened and took her arm in his and led her back towards the stage. They were greeted there by the Governor.

"Tonight we did not make our goal of $450,000," began the Governor. The crowd buzzed at that. "We made half a million dollars thanks to all our bachelors and Lieutenant Commander Steve McGarrett." The crowd went wild once again, the cheers were deafening.

Sue then stepped up. "Let's bring out all of our bachelors and have their winners come up on stage and pose with them." With that the other 19 bachelors came out on stage, each carrying a full bouquet of roses. Sam was last and he carried two bouquets, one of which he handed off to Steve. Once all the winning bidders were back on stage the gentlemen all presented them with their bouquets and posed for the news cameras.

Through it all Steve kept searching the audience, trying to catch a glimpse of Danny and the team. At last he spotted their table. Kono, her mother and Chin were still there, but Danny had disappeared. Steve kept his dismay off his face and continued to pose and smile for the cameras.

Steve was beginning to think the evening would never end. He and Rachel had been interviewed by almost every news station in Honolulu over the last hour. He really couldn't believe she had done this. They weren't being left alone long enough for him to find out what was going through her head. So they'd smiled and talked how happy they both were to be helping so many children. Rachel talked about being so inspired when she saw they'd exceeded the $450,000 goal, the thought of making half a million seemed too good to pass up.

At last they were finished and Steve headed to where his team still sat waiting to congratulate him. Kono's mother joined in on the congratulations. "Such a talented man, so many accomplishments. Your parents would be so very proud of you," she kissed him on the cheek.

"Thank you Lani," Steve said.

Chin and Kono both hugged him with enthusiasm. Dr. Lynde Linde was still at their table and was delighted when she was introduced to Steve.

"Thank you so much Commander, you, you have provided me with excellent data this evening. I look forward to studying you."

"What?" Steve was confused and watched the woman as she strode from the room.

"We'll have to explain it to you some other time," Chin said. "Though I'm not sure if we should." He rolled his eyes at Kono. Informing Steve of his alpha male status might not be the best idea.

Steve asked Chin where Danny had gone.

"Steve he was standing up cheering like everyone else when you got the big number. But when he saw it was Rachel and saw her kiss you he just turned and left."

"Damn. I hope he's not angry with me." Steve grimaced.

"No, I think he's angry with himself. He and Rachel had words earlier. I think she saw this as a very effective way to get him back. It worked too. He is probably off kicking himself right now. However, you my friend should be very proud. I think you've got a whole new fan club. If you want to run for Lieutenant Governor I think you'd have the women's vote all locked up."

"Politics is the last thing I'd want to go into." Steve looked around and smiled. The few remaining stragglers were all leaving. "I think it's a good time for us to all take off, don't you?"

"Yeah, are you going to stop by Danny's and check on him, or do you want me to?"

"I'll go." Steve smiled, "I'm a bit too wired to sleep anyway."

Steve pulled his truck up behind Danny's car and parked. . He climbed out of his truck and unconsciously brushed off his tuxedo and straightened his tie. He went towards the apartment and saw the TV flickering through the window, the rest of the apartment was dark. A light came on. "Who is it?"

"Danny it's me. Come on man, open the door," Steve said.

The door opened and Danny stood in the doorway wearing a t-shirt and a pair of sweats. "What?"

"I wanted to check on you man. I'm so sorry about what Rachel did."

"Babe, it's not your fault. I pissed her off. But hey, at least a lot more kids will be getting help."

Steve looked at him suspiciously. "Seriously?" He was so used to Danny blowing up at him for every little thing that this mellow Danny was worrying him a bit.

"Yeah, we're good. It's not you I'm mad at. I'm just mad at myself really. I don't know what it is but whenever I see her I just can't help pushing her buttons. This time it just backfired a bit."

"You try and push my buttons all the time," Steve said mildly..

"You don't have any buttons, Steve. I've never seen anyone who can take the crap I dish out like you can." Danny smiled at Steve. Steve was so serious all the time Danny felt it was his mission to give his partner a dose of reality whenever possible. But he wasn't going to let something with Rachel mess up his work life as well as his personal life.

"It's because I know you don't really mean it. It's just that crazy New Jersey thing you have going on." Steve smiled. . If you really disliked me as much as you say you'd be gone."

Danny shrugged. "I'm not admitting anything. Now, James Bond, can I go back to bed?"

"I didn't wake you, I know you were watching TV."

"Yes I was, in bed. And I was enjoying watching the highlights of the evening on the news. Man when that little girl ran out, those women just ate it up." Danny paused when he saw Steve's smile widen. "What?"

"For once I'm the one wearing the tie," Steve grinned.

"Goodnight Danno."

"What did I tell you about calling me that?" Danny closed the door in Steve's face.

The next week passed. Sue contacted Steve to thank him again and offered to take him out to dinner to celebrate once he completed his date with Rachel. Steve got the feeling that she was a little interested in him herself. Sam had called and invited Steve to a gathering of just the bachelors that would take place after they all completed their dates. It would be in a private dining room at his restaurant so everyone could share their stories. Danny had tried calling Rachel several times but he never got an answer and she only emailed in response to his messages.

Steve's date was scheduled for that Saturday and Sunday since it was an overnight trip. Danny made a point of leaving the room every time discussion started around the subject and Steve couldn't help but feel really bad for his partner. Rachel arranged to meet Steve at the heliport and asked that Danny be there as well, as she was letting him take Grace for the weekend. Chin and Kono decided to come along for moral support for Danny.

Steve arrived early at the heliport and went carefully through the maintenance checks on the chopper. He checked the fuel and made sure he had plenty for the trip to Maui. He had dressed to order in a pair of jeans, a clean white t-shirt, nice shoes and a lightweight leather bomber jacket. Sue had inspected his wardrobe and insisted on buying him the clothes for this date since she deemed cargo pants and jeans with holes in them not quite up to snuff for a high class dateresort. Chin and Kono arrived and Kono had given inspected him thoroughly then given a thumbs up to his new attire.

"I really like them, especially from the back. You should wear jeans more often boss," she told him with a twinkle in her eye.

"I don't see why, they aren't as convenient for carrying things," Steve began only to stop when Kono and Chin dissolved in laughter. He rolled his eyes and went back to checking out the helicopter. Chin and Kono wandered over to lean against Kono's car, well out of range for when he'd start it up.

"Steve looks different somehow," Chin pondered. "Who does he remind you of?"

"Tom Cruise and every other guy in Top Gun. He even has the glasses. Total military pilot stud, every woman's fantasy," Kono said. "I have to take a picture of him for my mother." Kono pulled out her phone and snapped a couple of quick photos. "She is talking about starting the Steve McGarrett Fan Facebook page."

"That will be so helpful if we ever need Steve to go undercover," Chin laughed.

Danny pulled his car up and parked next to Chin and Kono. He greeted them and walked over to where Steve was standing patiently, in what Danny quickly realized was his at ease position, hands behind his back, legs slightly spread.

"Hey Maverick," Danny said.

"Danno. Are you looking forward to your weekend with Grace?" Steve asked.

"I look forward to every moment I can spend with my daughter. In fact, I am planning to take her to the beach and take her to a surfing lesson."

"Oh man, I'm going to have to miss you trying to stand up on a surfboard. I just hope somebody has a camera."

"I'll have you know I'm very athletic. I have to be given that I have to keep up with all the crazy stunts you do. I just prefer not to do things that require taking unnecessary chances."

"Like what?"

"Like swimming in shark infested waters, running full speed into a warehouse with guns blazing when you have no idea how many people are inside, driving a motorcycle up a staircase into a room full of thugs, driving towards instead of away from a tsunami zone. And that's just in the last week," Danny and Steve were now faced off both with their arms folded. Danny continued his rant.

Kono and Chin were watching them curiously. Finally Chin leaned over, "Now I get it, the Great Dane and the Pomeranian."

Kono laughed then put her hand over her mouth. "You better hope that they never find out about that. Can you imagine?"

"Look at Steve's face, you can tell he's just taking it all in, it's not bothering him a bit." Chin chuckled.

"Better him than us," Kono replied.

Rachel's car pulled up shortly before they were due to departa few moments later. Instead of one child emerging from the backseat three appeared. Steve immediately recognized not only Grace but the two children from the charity auction. Grace The littlest girl spotted him and immediately ran over and hugged his leg. immediately made a beeline for her father shouting Danno at the top of her lungs.

The other little girl spotted Steve and immediately ran over and hugged his leg. HeSteve patted her head while he stared at Rachel quizzically. An attractive blonde woman emerged from the passenger seat of the car and came around.

"Steve, I'd like you to meet Mary Andrews. Mary is a new foster mother. She volunteered to take both Sarah and Jacob in after themseeing them at the auction."

"That's very nice of you, thank you so much," Steve shook her hand enthusiastically.

"Mary's a surgeon at the hospital. They have free daycare so while she's at work the children can still be with her and cared for."

"Tremendous," Steve was still somewhat confused but he continued to smile. He wondered if they wanted him to give the children a helicopter ride. He was about to ask when Danny pulled up in his Camaro.

Danny had detached Grace's arms from his waist and came over to the group.

"Danno," Grace went and jumped into her father's arms. Danny hugged her firmly and eyed Rachel and Steve standing side by side over her head. He put her down and came over.

"So are you two ready to go?" He put real effort into making his voice jovial and cordial. No way was he letting Rachel know how he really felt about her flying off with his best friend for a romantic weekend. Bad enough she was married to someone else. It would serve Step Stan right if Rachel went ran off with Steve. He immediately erased the thought with a shudder.

"Not exactly," Rachel said. Both men looked at her inquiringly. "I'm not going with you Steve. Mary and the children are going to go. I called the resort. Instead of a romantic dinner on the beach you're all going to a luau and instead of a massage the children will be getting swimming lessons."

Steve beamed at her in relief. He'd been dreading being paraded around in his tuxedo again. In fact he'd slipped his swim trunks and more casual clothes into his bag just in case he got some free time while at the resort.

"Yes, I expect you to show all three of them a wonderful time," Rachel said sternly.

Steve smiled and nodded his agreement and immediately went off to help Mary get their luggage into the helicopter.

"You're passing up a date with the most eligible bachelor on the island?" Danny asked.

"Yes Danny."

"And you couldn't tell me this before today? You decided to let me stew all week."

"Yes Danny. And remember this the next time you decide to start insulting me about having money. And for the record I didn't leave you because I was lonely. I left you because I couldn't bear the anxiety of waiting for youwondering if you were togoing to come home every alive every daynight."

"Rachel," Danny ran his fingers through his hair. Everything he wanted to say wasn't what you said to someone else's wife. "Rachel, I was going to take Grace for some shaved ice. Would you like to join us?"

Rachel looked surprised and then it was Danny's turn to be surprised, she agreed to join them. Chin and Kono were still leaning against Kono's car watching everything transpire. Danny escorted Grace and Rachel to the Camaro. As the three settled into their car they Chin and Kono turned their attention to the helicopter. Steve had settled his three passengers into the back and then climbed into the pilot's seat. As the blades of the chopper began to whirl Chin leaned over to Kono.

"Something just occurred to me Cuz," he said.

"What?" Kono watched as the helicopter took off, hovering above the ground before dipping slightly and flying a moment a few feet off the ground.

"Has anyone called the police over in Maui?

"Why would we do that?" Kono looked at her cousin puzzled.

"You do realize that Steve is going to havehas two days off? Somebody really should warn them he's on his way.."

"How much trouble can he get into with a doctor and two children with him?" She asked. Their eyes met and both began to laugh. They watched as the helicopter disappeared from view. then climbed into the car and drove off.

The End. 


End file.
